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DEC 11 189/ \^^ V \c5lV (^' 




TIC. 
BEf^RCENCE 

WHEN AND 

HOW TO GIVE . . . 



George F. Pentecost D. D. 



^^ e^ e^ ^^ ^i^ t!^ ^^ 










NEW YORK A. D. F. RANDOLPH 

COMPANY 103 FIFTH AVENUE 



''YSTEMATIC 
BENEFICENCE 

Ullitn and 
fim i« 6ive 

George f . Pentecost D. D. 



^ 



New York . . . A. D. F. RANDOLPH 
COMPANY .... 103 Fifth Avenue 






3^ 



Copyright, 1897, by 
The a. D. F, Randolph Company. 



Composition and Presswork by 

M., W. & C. Pennypacker. 



systematic JSenetfcence. 



PREFATORY NOTK. 

THIS little tract is in no sense intended as 
a complete discussion of the great grace 
of Christian Beneficence. It was written 
rather to refresh the memory of my own people 
in regard to much previous teaching on this 
subject, and to suggest to them a simple and 
practical method of systematizing and increas- 
ing their gifts to God. Nor was it intended for 
publication ; but only privately to be printed 
for the use of my own Congregation. It is, 
however, at the suggestion of some wise friends 
given to the public, all the more as the question 
of Systematic Beneficence is becoming a burn- 
ing one among the Churches. If the reading of 
this little tract shall lead to the adoption of the 
principle herein set forth by any number of our 
Congregations, I am sure it will make for bless- 
ing, individually and congregationally, through- 
out the whole Church. 

G. F. P. 

Yonkers, N. V., Nov. 25, i8gy. 



systematic Beneticence* 



WHEN AND HOW TO GIVE. 



AT the request of the Session I offer for the 
prayerful and earnest consideration of the 
members and friends belonging to and wor- 
shiping in the First Presbyterian Church, 
at Yonkers, N. Y., the following thoughts and 
suggestions on the important question of Sys- 
tematic Beneficence. 

The use of money for the promotion of the 
Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, is as essen- 
tial as faith, prayer, speech and all personal 
effort ; and it should equally with these great 
graces be counted a spiritual and worshipful 
exercise. This we gather from the scriptures 
both of Old and New Testaments : e. g. 

^^ Speak unto the children of Israel^ that they 
bring me an offering ; of every one that giveth 
9 



systematic :fiSeneficence 



it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offer- 
ingy (Kx. XXV. 2). 

* ''And He shall live^ and to Him shall be given 
of the gold of Sheba ; prayer also shall be made 
for Him continually ; and daily shall He be 
praised.''' (Psalm Ixxii. 15). 

*' Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse ^ 
that there may be meat i7i m,ine house, and 
prove 'jne now herewith^ saith the Lord of 
hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
heaveji and pour you out a blessing that there 
shall not be room enough to receive ity (Mai. 
iii. 10). 

''^And he (Jesus) looked up and saw the rich 
men casting their gifts into the treasury. And 
he saw also a certain poor widow casting in 
thither two mites. And he said, of a truth I 
say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in 
more than they all. For all these have of their 
abundance cast i?i u?ito the offerings of God ; 
but she of her penury hath cast in all the living 
that she had.''' (I^uke xxi. 1-4). • 
10 



Wil^cn anD 1bow to Give 



'* Therefore^ as ye abound in everything, in 
faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all 
diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye 
abound in this grace (of giving) also'' (2 Cor. 
viii. 7). 

** Upon the first day of the week, let every one 
of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered 
him, that there be no gatherings when I come,''* 
(i Cor. xvi. 2). 

From these and like passages there can be no 
doubt that the willing, generous, rehgious and 
systematic giving of money to God is clearly 
taught and enjoined upon every follower of 
Christ. 

That this great truth and grace are not fully 
recognized and generously practiced by the 
Church at large is very evident from the fact 
that stringency and distress is being felt in al- 
most every department of our work at home 
and abroad, and a majority of our Churches are 
in sore need of money to maintain the work 
and worship of God in their local fields ade- 
quately and generously. Even in our own 
II 



Si20temattc :Bcncnccncc 



Church, in the midst of our ample wealth and 
luxurious living, there is need of more money 
in order to meet our responsibilities and well 
and worthily do our work. 

I am persuaded that this almost universal 
lack of means with which to carry forward 
God's work is not because of an inherent un- 
willingness or mean covetousness on the part of 
His people, but because of ignorance of the 
teaching of the scripture, and lack of habitual 
training and a systematic method of beneficence. 

There is in our Church much more money 
than we need, that ought to be available, 
with which generously to do our work ; and 
enough besides to enable us to do large 
and liberal things for the great boards of 
the Presbyterian Church to whom has been 
committed the work of Home and Foreign 
Missions. The only question is, can the people 
be taught and trained in the art and grace of 
willing, joyful and systematic giving ? I have 
faith that they can and will be so trained and 
that our church will soon become a city set 
upon a hill in this respect. 



Mben anD *K)ow to (5ivc 



If this faith and hope is to be realized we 
must lay our hearts and consciences to God's 
word, seek earnestly to know what His gra- 
cious will is, and then resolutely do it at what- 
ever sacrifice of selfish and worldly desire to 
accumulate and lay up stores of wealth for 
ourselves and our children. God is our first 
creditor, and His cause our first charge. 

As above stated. Beneficence or the conse- 
crated and spiritual use of money for religious 
purposes is based upon the teaching both of 
the Old and the New Testaments. 



13 



Zbc Ueacbmg ot tbe ®l& 
Testament. 



Ube XTeacbfuQ ot tbe ®l^ 
Testament 



As to the tithes or the tenth part of all the 
increase of the field and the flock. Before 
the birth of Isaac or the rise of the Hebrew peo- 
ple, while as yet ''he was in the loins of his 
Father Abraham," (that great " friend of God " 
and "father of all the faithful") Levi paid 
tithes to Melchisedec, the Priest of the Most 
High God and the prototype of our Lord Jesus 
Christ : 

''And Melchisedec^ king of Salem ^ brought 
forth bread and wine ; and he was the priest of 
the most high God, And he blessed him, and 
said, Blessed be Abram of the m.ost high God, 
possessor of heaven and earth ; and blessed be 
the most high God which hath delivered thine 
enemies into thy hand. And he gave him, tithes 
of ally (Gen. xiv. 18-20). 
17 



S^6tematic :fiSeneticence 



The significance of this act in relation to the 
economy of the gospel of grace may be seen by 
reference to the use of it in the New Testament 
where it is shown that the principle of tithe 
giving belonged to an earlier age than that of 
the Levitical law, even to the age of faith. 
(Heb. vii. 1-17). 

Jacob, also the grandson of Abraham, at a 
time antecedent to the giving of the law recog- 
nized the right which God had in the tenth of 
all possessions. 

' ' And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will 
be with "^ne a^id will keep me in this way that I 
^0, and will give me bread to eat, and rai'inent 
to put on, so that I come agai^i to m.y father^ s 
house in peace ; then shall the Lord be 7ny God ; 
and this stone which I have set for a pillar, shall 
be God^s house ; and of all that thou shall give 
-mCy I will surely give the tenth unto thee^ 
(Gen. xxviii. 20-22). 

In this transaction it will be seen that the ele- 
ment of religion, worship and gratitude pro- 
foundly entered into the covenant on Jacob's 
part. 

18 



TWlben anD How to (31ve 



Later on, when Moses brought the descen- 
dants of Abraham and Jacob up out of the land 
and house of Egyptian bondage, he formally 
embodied in the Levitical law the principle and 
grace of giving the tenth of all to God. 

'^ And all the tithes of the land, whether of the 
seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the 
Lord's ; it is holy unto the Lord. And concern- 
ing the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even of 
whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall 
be holy unto the Lord.''^ (Lev. xxvii. 30, 32). 

Notice that in declaring the law of the 
tenth, Moses makes it plain that the tenth 
part of all man's increase is Thk i^ord'S — 

**IT IS HOI.Y UNTO THE lyORD." It is a 

reservation out of the gifts of His provi- 
dence, and belongs to Him not in virtue of a 
gift from us, but as of His own right. There- 
fore to withhold the tenth of our increase from 
Him is accounted robbery by God. (Mai. iii. 8). 
As to Free-Will Offerings. In addition to the 
tithe or the tenth of all the increase of the field 
and of the flock (a fixed portion reserved to be 
19 



S^6temattc JBeneftcence 



paid to the Lord by rich and poor alike) the 
Children of Israel were encouraged of their own 
will, and as an expression of their gratitude to 
God to bring to the Lord " free-will offerings/' 
which He was pleased to accept. These offer- 
ings were made on special occasions as when 
the Tabernacle was being built in the wilder- 
ness ; as when David prepared for the building 
of the Temple ; as when Solomon carried for- 
ward that great work; as when from time to 
lime the Temple was repaired ; and as when, 
after the Babylonian Captivity, Kzra and Nehe- 
miah restored the city of Jerusalem and the 
Temple, and reinaugurated in the Holy Land 
the worship of God. (See i Chron. xxix. 6-10. 
Bzra i. 4 ; iii. 5 ; vii. 16 ; viii. 28. Neh. x. 37 ; 
xii. 44; xiii. 5). 

Observe, too, that to be permitted to make 
these gifts to God was considered an honor and 
privilege. 

^^ But who am I and what are my people^ that 

we should be able to offer so willingly after this 

sort ; for all things are of thee and of thine 

owri have we given thee^ -^O Lord our God, 

20 



'Mbcn anD 1bow to Give 



all this store that we have prepared to build 
thee an house for thy holy name cometh of 
thine hand, and all is thine own^ i Chron. 
xxix. 14-16). 

To give of our substance as well as of our 
increase is one method of honoring the Lord. 
Therefore, honor the Lord. 

^^A son honour eth his father, and a servant 
his master; if then I be a father, where is mine 
honour? and if I be a master, where is my 
fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you.'' 
(Mat. i. 6). 

'''Honour the Lord with thy substance, and 
with the first frtiits of all thine increase ; so 
shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy 
presses shall burst out with new wine.'' (Prov. 
iii. 9, 10). 

''For them that honour me / will ho7iour, 
and they that despise me shall be lightly es- 
teemed." (Sam. ii., 30). 



21 



Ube Ueacbing of tbe IRew 
Testament. 



Ube XCeacbina of tbe IRew 
Testament 

IN the New Testament the life of the disciple 
of Christ and the worship of God is carried 
forward and developed not under statu tary 
enactments, but under grace and the leading of 
the Spirit. Nevertheless direction is given 
by which we are guided in respect to worship 
and service. The law of the tithe is not ex- 
plicitly restated in the New Testament, but the 
principle is retained as being essentially of the 
Gospel system (Heb. vii. 9.) and the whole 
scheme of Old Testament beneficence under 
grace is taken up and glorified into a large 
hearted, liberal and systematic habit of giving 
to God. Some details of this principle of 
grace are set forth in the eighth and ninth 
chapters of Second Corinthians, which I com- 
mend to your careful study. These are some of 
the particulars found therein. 
25 



Si26tematlc :fi3eneticence 



Our beneficence is as much a matter of grace 
as is faith, utterance, knowledge, diligence and 
love, and should be cultivated and practiced as 
we do these recognized spiritual gifts. 

^' Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in 
faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all 
diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye 
abound in this grace also.^^ (2 Cor. viii. 7). 

It is to be done with a willing mind, cheer- 
fully and gladly, as unto the Lord. 

*' If there be first a willing mind it is accept- 
ed,^'* "-^ Every man according as he purposeth 
in his heart ; so let him give ; not grudgingly 
or of necessity ; for God loveth a cheerful 
giver. ^^ (2 Cor. viii. 12 ; ix. 7). 

It should be proportionate or according to 
ability. 

' * It is accepted according to that a man hath, 
and not according to that he hath not ; " ^^ As 
God hath prospered him.^'' (2 Cor. viii. 12 ; 
I Cor. xvi. 2). 

26 



Wibcn anO 1bow to Give 



It is a grace growing out of consecration and 
an act of worship to be performed on the Lord's 
day. 

* * The abundance of their joy and their deep 
poverty abounded unto the riches of their liber- 
ality.'^ ''And this they did, not as we hoped, 
but first gave themselves unto the Lord, and 
unto us by the will of God.'' (2 Cor. viii. 

2.5). 

** On the first day of the week let every one of 
you lay by him in store, "^ "^ that there be no 
gatherings when I come." (i Cor. xvi. 2). 

It must be done systematically and regularly 
and not spasmodically from mere impulse. 

''Upon the first day of the week," (as above) 
implies that the act of laying by a part of our 
increase and substance is to be a regular prac- 
tice that we may always have a store of 
money in hand to give as occasion may 
arise. 

The rule of grace in this respect applies to 
every one ; not to the rich or to the poor; but 
to the rich and poor alike, according to ability. 
27 



systematic JBenetlccnce 



*^ On the first day of the week let every one of 
you lay by him in store as God hath prospered 
him. (i. Cor. xvi. 2). 



The motive of this grace is drawn from the 
sincerity of our love and the glorious example 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

* ' / speak not by com.mandm,ent^ but to prove 
the sincerity of your love. For ye know the 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though 
he was rich, yet for your sakes he beca^ne poory 
that ye, through his poverty weight be rich^ 
(2. Cor. viii. 8, 9). 

The benefit to our own souls and the free 
reward of God's grace to all who abound in this 
grace are found in an increase of the love and 
grace of God poured into our hearts and upon 
our service. 

''For God loveth a cheerful giver, ^^ and to 

all such the promise is that ^' God is able to 

m^ake all grace abound toward you ; that ye^ 

always, having all sufficiency in all things, may 

28 



Mben anD Ibow to ©tve 



abound to every good work. Being enriched in 
everything to all bountifulness, which causeth 
through us thanksgiving to God,'''' (2. Cor. ix. 
7, 8, II, 12, 13). 

It will be seen from this that systematic bene- 
ficence practiced in all sincerity and love con- 
stitutes an endless chain of grace. Grace from 
our Ivord Jesus Christ flowing into our hearts, 
thence flowing out to others, reacting again 
upon ourselves and causing God to be glorified 
on our behalf because of our bountifulness. 
How can any Christian having a spark of spir- 
itual life not desire to ''abound in this grace 
also?'' 



29 



XTbe jfrufts ot a S^0tematf3e5 
^Beneficence. 



XTbe f twits of a Spstematiset) 
aseneficence* 



APART from the relief which a large and 
systematic beneficence on the part of 
God's people would give to the straight- 
ened conditions of all our work, it is absolutely 
sure that certain other and great spiritual re- 
sults would quickly follow — results for which 
we have all been praying without ceasing and 
wondering why God did not bring to pass. 
The truth is that, to pray, ** T/iy kingdom 
come,'''' and at the same time withhold from 
God the means for spreading the Gospel 
abroad, is to mock Him and violate every prin- 
ciple of common sense and ordinary business 
sagacity. To pray for a harvest and yet refuse 
the seed for the necessary sowing would be the 
height of folly. To expect an abundant har- 
vest while sowing with a meagre and sparing 
hand is to expect God and nature to contradict 
33 



Sl25tematic JSeneftcence 



themselves ; for nothing is more true than this, 
that ' ^He that soweth sparingly shall reap spar- 
ingly ; while he that soweth bountifully shall 
reap also bountifully y — (2. Cor. ix. 6). 

1. A large and systematized beneficence on 
the part of God's people, proportionate to pros- 
perity and on principle, persisted in, from week 
to week throughout the years, would certainly 
result in a startling spiritual revolution through- 
out the land, a revolution which would come 
nothing short of rejuvenating the Church of 
God in all her borders. 

2. That such a beneficence would result in a 
general and wide-spread revival of religion we 
cannot doubt if we take God's word to be true. 
He has directly challenged us on this point. 
* ' Prove me now herewith^ and see if I will not 
open you the whidows of heaven and pour you 
out a blessing that there shall not be room enough 
to receive it^ (Mai. iii. 10). We are also told 
that, following the gifts of gold to Messiah and 
the offering of daily prayer and praise contin- 
ually, the ' ^handful of corn in the earth upon 
the top of the mountains shall shake like Leb- 
anon^ and they of the city shall flourish like 

34 



TOben anD 1bow to (3ive 



grass of the earth. ^^ (Psalm Ixxii. i6, 17). We 
cannot buy a revival of religion with money; 
but it is certain that in this day of vast accumu- 
lation of wealth there will be no more any re- 
vival of religion in the Churches until the spirit 
of consecration takes hold upon and sanctifies 
our wealth. 

3. Such a manifestation of beneficence would 
be a testimony which the world would instant- 
ly recognize and could not withstand. The 
world understands money, the love of it and its 
power. Should they behold the Christians 
of this land pouring out their wealth in tithes 
and offerings for the promotion of the king- 
dom of God, they would be moved by that 
evidence of sincerity as they would not by any 
amount of praying, preaching and profession, 

4. Such a general revival of Christian ben- 
eficence would enable us quickly to evangelize 
the world. There are thousands of young men 
and women waiting to give themselves to the 
Church, as they have already given themselves 
to God, to go into all the world and preach the 
gospel. But how shall they go except they be 
sent ? Let them answer this question who are 

35 



S^etcmMc :Bcncticcncc 



neither going themselves nor giving son or 
daughter to go for God. There are only three 
ways in which we can obey the command of 
Christ : '^ Goye into all the world and preach 
the gospel.'^ One is to '* Go" oneself; another 
way is to " Let Go " either son or daughter 
whom the Lord may call ; and the other way is 
to *' Help Go " by giving the money entrusted 
to our care, that they who are called may go 
forth with help and comfort to those for whom 
Christ died as He died for us. 

5. Such a spirit of beneficence would, as 
would almost nothing else, tend to the deepen- 
ing of spiritual life. God's chief rival is mam- 
mon — the spirit of the world. Covetousness, or 
the love of money as much manifested in the 
grip with which we hold on to it or withold it 
from God's use, as in the greed of gain in the 
pursuit of it, is the only sin which is denounced 
as idolatry, because it so nearly takes the place 
of God in the hearts of those who have fallen 
victim to its deadly power. To triumph over 
this vice and emancipate the heart from the 
love of money is to make a large place into 
which God will come. We cannot love money 

36 



'Mbcn and t)ow to (5ivc 



and enjoy the love of God at the same time. 
Therefore we are told that * ' God loveth a cheer- 
ful giver y What is there that would more 
certainly deepen spiritual life than to have 
the love of God poured out in our hearts by the 
Holy Spirit. The large and rapidly increasing 
wealth of the Christian Church in these latter 
days is a fact which can only result in the de- 
struction of all spirituality within our borders, 
unless it is sanctified by an enlightened, pur- 
poseful, persistent and proportionate beneficence 
on the part of those to whom God has given 
wealth. There is all the difference in the 
world between a fortune, large or small, rusted, 
corroded and cursed by covetousness ; and one 
sanctified, spiritualized and glorified by Chris- 
tian beneficence. 

Surely we do well to take heed to and ponder 
these things, and ask ourselves as in God's 
sight, whether or not we are not wickedly 
witholding from God that which is His by res- 
ervation and keeping back from Him that 
which by every dictate of gratitude and faithful 
stewardship should be freely given to Him. 
My brother^ my sister, have you any of the 
37 



systematic JSeneticence 



Lord's fnoney in your possession which you have 
thoughtlessly, ignorantly or covetously kept back 
frofn Him f Take heed to yourselves ! 



38 



H ipractical Suggestion. 



H practical Suagestlon^ 

THB question will immediately arise in the 
minds and hearts of the real children of 
God — in whom the Spirit of Christ is : — 
How am I to systematize my beneficence ; how 
determine the proper portion of my wealth, be 
it great or small, to be dedicated to God and 
His work ; and what method shall I adopt in 
carrying out a generous, purposeful and benefi- 
cent use of my money. 

As to the portion which should be set aside. 
In the New Testament no fixed proportion of 
our income or substance is indicated as being 
the Ivord's due portion. The command is sim- 
ply, ''^ Let every one of you lay by him in store 
as God has prospered him. '^ This apparently 
leaves every consecrated heart free to deter- 
mine the proportion to be set aside for the 
work and worship of God. But I know of no 
rule that is more just and easily observed than 
41 



S^etcm^tic :©enet!cence 



the ancient one which Abraham adopted ; which 
Jacob practiced; which God commanded Moses 
to incorporate in the Levitical I^aw ; and which 
is alluded to in the New Testament and com- 
mended by Christ himself. (Heb. vii. i, 4, 6; 
Matt, xxiii. 23). Nor do I believe that the law 
of the tithe is repealed or abolished any more 
than the Ten Commandments are repealed; 
but as I have before said, it is rather taken up 
and glorified by a larger and freer beneficence. 
The law I refer to is the law and rule of the 
tithe, or the giving back to God l/ie tenth part 
of all our income, be it much or little. The 
word of God says the tithe is the Lord's and is 
holy. (Lev. xxvii. 30). Let every sincere and 
honest Christian begin by setting aside one tenth 
of his income^ be it much or little, and count 
and administer that tenth as the Lord's portion. 
Shall Abraham give more to Melchisedec 
than the Christian to Christ? Shall the Chris- 
tian give less under grace than the Jew did 
under the Law? I speak to the shame of 
the Christian Church. 

Beside this, let him who is rich and in- 
creased in goods add to the tenth generous 
42 



TKHben anD Dow to ©fve 



free-will offerings according to the substance 
he has left after taking out the Lord's tenth. 
Let this tithing be done regularly and as 
nearly as possible on the Lord's day ; or at 
least let the spirit of the Lord's day be put 
into the process. Pardon me for a personal 
illustration. It is my custom immediately on 
receiving my salary to set apart one tenth of 
it, entering it in a separate bank book or 
placing it in a separate "strong box." It is 
the Lord^s. And so of all incomes from other 
sources. I am never at a loss to know whether I 
can afford to give or not to give, so long as there 
is money in the Lord's Box or to His credit in 
the bank. The only questions to be considered 
are : Is the cause which appeals a worthy one and 
has the Lord any money in His treasury which 
I may use for that object? No question of sel- 
fishness can possibly come into the matter as 
the money is already set apart and I am able 
to judge dispassionately and without selfish 
bias. If after I have set apart the Lord's tenth 
from my income it is possible for me to add a 
free-will offering out of that which is mine, 
then it is my pleasure to do so; and it is surpris- 
43 



systematic JSenetilcence 



ing how often one is privileged to add the free- 
will offerings. I speak of this matter from 
personal experience because I wish, at the same 
time, to bear witness to the fact that in the ex- 
ercise of systematic beneficence I have had the 
very greatest joy and believe that nothing has 
done more to keep me near to God and in 
close touch with the Spirit of Christ than my 
endeavor to ^^ abound in this grace also^ It 
corrects selfishness, sanctifies one's temporal 
affairs, gives one the sense of partnership with 
God and the assurance of being a trusted stew- 
ard. Certainly in this respect the Lord honors 
them who honor Him. (Prov. iii. 9; i Sam. 
ii. 30; Mai. i. 6). 

As to the method of applying our tithes to 
the support of our own Congregation and the 
Boards of the Church to which we are bound 
by the closest ties and obligations. For more 
than thirty years I have advocated the system 
I am about to propose to you, and in all those 
years, where it has been adopted, I have never 
known it to fail in furnishing an ample reve- 
nue for the Churches over which I have been 
set as Pastor, and an abundant supply to the 
44 



THaben anJ) 1bow to (3ivc 



various Missionary Boards through which we 
send our fellowship to the work lying beyond 
our borders both at home and abroad. 

In order that we may act intelligently in this 
matter I beg to set before you an aproximate 
estimate of our needs as a congregation for the 
proper and generous maintenance of public 
worship, and a suggestion as to what it seems 
to me we ought to do for the kingdom of God 
outside our own boundaries. 

Proposed Budget. 

The amount of money necessary for the 
proper administration of our Church during the 
coming year is as follows : 

For Pastor's Salary, . . . fc,ooo 
For Music, including the tuning of the 

Organ, .... 2,600 

For Sunday School, . . 300 

For Immanuel Chapel, . . 1,800 

For Summer Supplies, . . 300 

For Session Fund, . . . 300 

For Printing . . . 500 

For Sexton's Salary, . . . 750 

For Taxes on Manse, . . 200 
For Repairs and Supplies, including 

Water, Gas and Fuel, . . 1,000 

45 



S^Btcmntic Mcncnccncc 



For Insurance, . , . 150 

For Sundries, . . . 250 



Total of all Home expenses, 113,150 

Against this we have Pew Rents 

amounting to, say, . . 9,000 



Deficit to be made up by Trustees 

out of F. W. O.'s . . 4,150 

We ought to give to Foreign Missions, 2,000 

We ought to give to Home Missions, 1,500 
We ought to give to other Boards and 

Benevolences, . . . 2,500 



Total amount to be raised by volunta- 
ry Free Will Offerings, . |io,i5o 

To do this we need only to make an offering 
of, say, |200 on each lyord's day. This is a 
sum so small for this congregation to offer that I 
am almost ashamed to propose it. Yet for a 
beginning it will do. With a membership of 
Five Hundred, it would mean an average offer- 
ing of less than fifty cents per capita per week. 

Of course, there are some in our congrega- 
tion who could not give so much as 50 cents 
per week ; but then there are very many among 
us who can and ought to give ten times that 
amount and more, according as God has pros- 
pered us. Let us suppose that there are twenty- 

46 



iMhcn anD Dow to (3ivc 



five persons in our Congregation with an in- 
come of at least $5,000 per annum. A tithe or 
tenth part of that would be |io per week or 
$250 ; more than all that is needed to make up 
the proposed Jio,ooo. But let us halve that 
amount, and suppose that there are twenty-five 
persons among us who would give even $s per 
week ; that would be $125 per week. Surely 
there are more than that number who would 
cheerfully and gladly lay that amount upon the 
Liord's altar each lyord's day as a token of love 
and gratitude for all His mercies and many 
benefits. Then let those with lesser incomes 
give in a like proportion, say one twentieth of 
their incomes^ ranging in amounts from I5 down 
to 25 cents. In this way more than enough 
would be supplied: and we still would have 
half of the l/ord's tithe in our hands for other 
purposes, such as private charities and other 
calls upon our benevolence. I offer this only 
as a suggestion of what systematic beneficence 
will do. 

In order to assist you in thus honoring the 
Ivord, I am sending to each one of you a card 
as seen on the next page. 
47 



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49 



S^0tematlc aseneticence 



On the reverse side of this card you are asked 
to indicate the largest amount you are able and 
willing to give weekly to the Lord for the pur- 
pose of worthily maintaining our own Churchy 
and as your contribution toward the work of God 
at Home and in Foreign Fields and other work 
as carried on by our various Church Boards. You 
will indicate your pledge by placing a cross (X) 
against one or any combination of the sums in- 
dicated in the little squares, or any amount 
you may be pleased to fix, in one of the blank 
spaces. Sign the card with your name and ad- 
dress, and return it to me in the envelope 
provided for the purpose. Your pledge will 
be an absoi^ui^K coni^idknck between you and 
your Pastor, and will never be questioned or 
alluded to. If at any time you should feel that 
you have overburdened yourself by pledging 
more than you are able to give, or should your 
income for any cause be reduced, you must feel 
at liberty to reduce the amount, and may 
indicate that to me at any time. If, on the 
contrary, you shall find that you can give 
more, then you must feel free to increase your 
offering. 

50 



'Mbcn anD IbovQ to Give 



If you are the head of a family, and your 
children or others of your household have 
no separate income of their own, then divide 
your offering with them, and allow them the 
joy of taking part in this act of worship. It is 
of the utmost importance that our children and 
youth should be trained in the habits of sys- 
tematic beneficence. 

Thk F. W. O. Envklope. 



FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 

YONKERS-ON-HUDSON. 

No. 

WEEKLY OFFERING. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 2. 1898. 

As an expression of gratitude to God for tem- 
poral and spiritual mercies, and as an act of wor- 
ship, I consecrate the within sum of money for 
the maintenance of the worship and work of 
this Church. 

"Of every man that giveth it willingly with his 
heart, ye shall take my offering." (E^x. xxv. 2.) 

** Upon the first day of the week let every one 
of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered 
him." (I. Cor. xvi. 2.) 



After receiving your card (upon which you 
have indicated what you are able and willing 
51 



systematic :ffienef!cence 



to give weekly to God), I will send you a pack- 
age of fifty-two small envelopes dated, one for 
each Sunday in the year, and bearing a number 
which will correspond with the number to be 
placed on the card upon which your promise 
is made and known only to me. 

On Sunday morning let it be your privilege 
to place in the envelope for the day your offer- 
ing, and do this as an act of worship ; bring 
it with you to Church and deposit it in the bas- 
ket or on the plate. If you are detained from 
Church on any given Sunday, nevertheless, lay 
by in store your offering, and bring it with you 
the next Sunday you come to Church, together 
with the offering for that day. In this way a 
worshipful habit will be acquired, and great 
grace will abound in your own souls. 

On the Sabbath-day, when the offerings are 
gathered up, the envelopes with their contents 
will be delivered over to the brethren who 
shall have been appointed to take care of them, 
opened, the money taken out, and each offer- 
ing entered over against the proper number 
in a book, kept for that purpose. Understand 
clearly that the Treasurers of this fund do 
52 



Wibcn anD 1bow to (31ve 



not know any names, only numbers ; the names 
corresponding to the numbers are known only 
to your Pastor, and only to him because it is 
necessary that somebody should know in order 
to make the system efficient. 

Method of Registration. 



1898 


JANUARY 




No. 


2 


9 


16 


23 


30 




% cts. 

1 


s 


cts. 


% 


cts. 


% 


cts. 


% 
5 


cts. 




1 


5 




5 








10 






2 




10 




10 




10 




10 




10 




3 


1 




1 




1 




1 




1 






4 




50 




50 




50 




50 




50 




5 


3 








6 




3 




3 






6 




25 




25 




25 




25 




25 




7 


10 




10 




10 




10 




10 






8 


2 




2 




2 




2 




2 






9 




75 




75 




75 




75 








10 




5 




5 




5 




5 




5 





Once in three months a numbered list of 
offerings will be published with the amounts 
53 



S^etcmntic :fiSenef!cence 



offered during the quarter, so that each offerer 
may see that his offerings have been duly re- 
ceived and properly registered. 

I am satisfied from long experience that this 
system of Stated Weekly Free-will Offerings is 
the best and easiest method ever devised for 
gathering the money necessary to carry on the 
Lord's work at home and abroad. It is best 
and easiest because it is in the line of what 
God himself has taught us. 

It is in accordance with the word of God that 
every one of us should bring an offering of 
money to the Lord, as an act of worship ; and 
in order to do this systematically and with- 
out grudging, but heartily and of a willing 
mind, we are instructed to lay by as the Lord 
has prospered us on a Lord's day so that there 
shall be an offering always on hand rather than 
that we give in response to special appeals, 
spasmodically and irregularly. 

** Upon the first day of the week, let every one 
of you lay by him in store, as God has pros- 
pered him, that there be no gatherings when I 
come'^ (i. Cor. xvi. 2.) 
54 



Wibcn anD 1bow to (3ivc 



The advantage and wisdom of the Weekly- 
Offering is, that it enables persons of small in- 
comes to give more easily and in the end more 
largely than if they were called upon to give 
all they ought to give at one time, at the be- 
ginning, middle or end of a year. For instance, 
a man can give Five Dollars a week much 
more easily than he could give two hundred 
and sixty dollars at one time at the end of a 
year, unless indeed he be a rich man to 
whom such an amount would make no per- 
ceptible inroad upon his means. A poor man 
with only a few hundreds a year, can, in the 
same way give twenty-five or fifty cents each 
week more easily than he could give twelve 
dollars and fifty cents or twenty five dollars 
a year at one time. There are many scores of 
people in our Congregation who could without 
serious inconvenience give each week irom. fifty 
cents to two or three dollars who could not 
possibly give the aggregate of these sums, 
or at least who would feel that they could 
not do so were they called upon at any 
given time for so large an amount. I do 
not believe there are fifty people in our Congre- 
55 



S^Btemattc :©enet!cence 



gation who could not, if they had a willing 
mind, afford to give from twenty-five to fifty 
cents per week into the Lord's treasury. There 
are many scores of men and women in our 
congregation who are able to give much more 
than this. 

This system is based upon ability and conse- 
cration, leaving each offerer free to determine 
between himself and God, what he can give, 
and the gift is accepted of God according to the 
freeness and heartiness of the gift and not ac- 
cording to the amount of it. The poor man's 
gift being in God's sight as great as that of the 
rich man ; thus bringing about both temporal 
and spiritual equality in the Church, instead 
of giving prominence to a certain few large 
givers. 

It also distributes the burdens of the Church, 
(if giving to God be counted a burden by any 
true son of God) over the whole congregation, 
instead of placing it upon a few, as is too often 
the case. If each one of us gives according to 
his ability, there will be a real equality among 
us and all will have the happiness of knowing 
that we have an equal share in maintaining 
56 



'Mbcn ant) 1bow to 61ve 



the Cliurcli and the cause in the world for 
which the church stands. 

^' For if there he first a willing mind, it is 
accepted according to that a man hath and not 
according to that he hath not. For I mean not 
that other men he eased and ye burdened, hut 
that there may he equality ; as it is written, 
He that gathered much had nothing over ; and 
he that gathered little had no lack, (2. Cor. 
viii. 12-15). 

On these Scriptural grounds, and as your 
Pastor, whom you have chosen to instruct and 
rule over you in the Lord, I make this appeal 
to every communicant and worshiper in this 
Congregation to lend your cordial cooperation 
in inaugurating this method of regular Weekly 
Free- Will Offerings. Even if you have a scruple 
or prejudice against the plan, I ask that you 
will at least cooperate with us for this one year. 
If at the end of one year you are dissatisfied 
and wish to withdraw from cooperation, and 
especially if the result of this united act of 
worship in the matter of Stated Weekly Free- 
57 



Q^etcmatic JSenetlcence 



will Offerings does not justify the method and 
our expectation, then feel at liberty to retire 
from the plan and fall back upon any method 
of giving to God which you may find more con- 
venient and helpful. 

In closing this appeal I have one word more 
to say. It is not alone for our own Congrega- 
tion that I appeal, but for the whole Church. 
If the First Presbyterian Church at Yon- 
kers shall nobly and generously set a high 
standard of Systematic Giving, I believe it will 
stimulate the Churches of our whole Synod to 
**go and do likewise," and thus we will be 
giving twice over by influencing others to give. 

Now, may God guide you in this important 
matter. 



58 



59 



Approved by the Session 
November 1897. 



60 



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